Fahrenheit
by ToBecomeAClown
Summary: Nursing the repercussions of a nasty heartbreak just got a hell of a lot more interesting with the help of Haley James. Naley. Oneshot. Very AU/OOC.


**A/N: Okay, so maybe it's not my most original idea, but it came to me while I was sitting bored in pre-calculus one day and it's not going to leave me alone until I get it out, so here we are.**

**Description: **Nursing the repercussions of a nasty heartbreak just got a hell of a lot more interesting with the help of Haley James. Oneshot. Very AU/ OOC.

**Disclaimer: One Tree Hill is not in my possession.**

**Warning: Probably doesn't need to be rated M, but we'll go with it anyway. Bad language, mild sexual references, alcohol use. Also, not that this pertains to it being rated M, but it's very OOC and clearly AU.**

**Fahrenheit-** noting or pertaining to the _temperature scale_; using or measured on a temperature scale on which water _freezes and boils_

"You, uh, you look really nice. Your dress compliments you really well."

Haley didn't even attempt to stifle her laughter when the stick thin, big chested, fake blonde girl wearing the tight red dress who was on the receiving end of the compliment walked away.

She had been sitting at this bar for a total of twenty minutes and consequently had seen many of these situations go down, some having successful trials, others having the same results as this poor boy, but none of them half as embarrassing.

She look sympathetically at the man who sat next her. Though, she didn't know why he had any trouble with his pick-up lines; Haley was certain he wouldn't have to say anything and girls would jump on him. He was very fit, clearly worked out a lot—his muscles were practically bulging from his shirt. He was also attractive. Piercing blue eyes contrasting his dark black hair, only to be accented by his godlike jaw structure; Haley was ready to pounce on him as she stared.

"Dammit." Haley heard the man mutter to himself as he let out a heavy sigh and took the shot that he motioned for from the bartender once the girl walked away.

He closed his eyes as the liquid burned his throat, and then wiped his hand down his face. He'd been going at this for a few nights now, desperate for just one girl to talk to him, to flirt back, maybe even kiss him. That's all he wanted. Guys went to bars all the time for one night stands, why couldn't he be successful just once?

Haley watched as the stranger seemed to struggle with some inner voice, and she smiled in effect. He wasn't only hot as hell, but also cute. Despite his tough outer shell, he seemed to truly be naïve—something that Haley definitely appreciated.

She felt bad, as she continued to stare at him and considered her options. He was way too overdressed, someone needed to let him know that—unless it's after five and you're trying to avoid you're wife and kids, you don't wear ties to a bar. And, clearly, he needed help with his lines. He was a train wreck with potential.

Taking a shot of her own, Haley slid down two stools and sat right next to the man whose hands were currently cradling his head that was bowed in shame and self-loathing.

"Damn," Haley started, facing the boy who sat next her, "that dress shirt compliments you really well."

She smiled at the end of her line and raised an eyebrow at the boy, anticipating his response.

The man scowled slightly, hearing the person next to him. He felt a presence, noticed it was a girl and was mentally preparing himself to hit on her; he didn't expect her to make fun of him.

He finally looked up, desperately, with eyes pleading for whoever was talking to him to just leave him alone because his ego could not face another bruising, when he was met with big brown eyes from a honey blonde girl who had a look on her face that showed she was completely menacing and innocent at the same time. He instantly softened his look when he found comfort in hers. He allowed his eyes to quickly travel down her body, enjoying the sight and the red dress that clung to her in all the right places, but at the same time didn't show too much. Class was the word that popped into his head when he met her eyes once more. She was most definitely classy and sexy, opposed to the other girls that he had been hitting on, who he would more likely define as trashy and hot. She didn't look like the type of girl that would be doing this often, though here she was. She was the opposite of everything he expected to find in a girl at this bar, on a Thursday night, and yet he was completely enthralled.

"Th-thanks." He responded, having to stop to clear his throat which at first came out rather cracked and raspy. He genuinely hoped that she wouldn't notice, and began to turn red once she grinned, noting that she absolutely did notice.

Haley didn't feel like laughing at the man in front of her again, so she tried to hold it back. He clearly had a lot of issues with his self-confidence and she didn't want to push him down any further, she didn't want him to retreat.

She smiled before signaling over the bartender and asking the dark haired man, "What are you drinking tonight?"

He let out a soft sigh of relief, not believing that he hadn't yet scared off the beautiful girl who was currently ordering herself a drink, before responding, "Budweiser."

Haley rolled her eyes jokingly and grinned at the bartender, "Two Budweisers."

She looked at the boy who was clearly nervous before opening her mouth, "Beer is boring. I would have ordered anything you wanted. When someone is buying you a drink, and especially when it's a person you don't know, you go expensive. You won't have a guilty conscience if you don't know them."

The man looked at her, perplexed. He's certain that he's never met a girl like her. He finally lets out an uneven smirk as he watches her sip the beer the bartender handed her.

"That would have been rude." He states, gaining her attention again, though he looks away once she meets eye contact with him.

He starts to wipe his hands on his pants and Haley can clearly tell that he is uncomfortable. She takes a moment to scan the rest of the bar and scoffs when she sees a man, ten times smaller and less attractive than the one before her, hitting it off with two hot girls.

Haley nudges the man next to her and points to the boy across the bar, "Watch him. He must be doing something right."

"I don't need any help." He replies, begrudgingly. It upsets him that he is so clearly uninformed in this department and that he is seemingly not being considered by the beautiful girl he's talking to.

"Really," She smirks, while raising an eyebrow, "Then how come you are insanely hotter than him and he's the one with the really slutty girls?"

He shook his head and took a drink, reprimanding himself for wanting to explode because she called him hot. He felt like he was on top of the world, though he also didn't feel that he had a valid reason to.

The man finally looked up to see the guy that the girl was talking about, and choked on his drink as a result. This was not what he needed—not tonight.

"That's great." He muttered bitterly while chugging down the rest of his drink and requesting a new one. He casted his eyes downward while he silently prayed that the floor would suddenly open underneath him and he could fall into oblivion. He felt the tears begin to build up in the back of his eyes and he refused to react when he felt the woman next to him place a comforting hand on his back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I said you were hotter…" She trailed off, uncertainly. She truly felt bad and didn't want to upset him, though she didn't know the exact protocol for this situation; was she supposed to leave and let him drown in his sorrows? Or should she try to change the subject with a light joke and hope for the best, or try to talk to him about it? Thankfully, he decided for her when he shook he head, willing the tears not to fall and looked up at her.

"No, you didn't offend me. I just, I just _hate _that guy." He said sternly, referring to the man that Haley previously told him to use as a model.

"He does look like an ass," Haley confirmed, nodding, "He deserves those types of girls; they aren't good enough for you anyway."

"Really? Because you didn't seem to feel that way two minutes ago." He countered, looking for reassurance that the girl before him truly believed what she claimed to.

"Yeah, well I didn't know you two minutes ago." Haley explained.

"Oh, but you know me now?" He smiled, slightly amused, though it was juxtaposed against his still saddened eyes.

"No," She began, until letting out a defeated sigh and explaining her true feelings, "They're the types of girls you're looking for, the type of girl I saw you hit on fifteen minutes ago, so I was just trying to help you out. But you're pick-up lines are shit, your outfit would be hot if you were fifteen years older and coming home from work at the office and you are fucking crying in a bar, so no, they don't deserve you. They deserve someone as real as their breasts."

The man looked hurt by her rant as he looked away, fiddling with the watch on his wrist. If he would have continued to look at her then he would have seen her roll her eyes, though she was glad that he didn't see that. This man was clearly sensitive.

"That was not an offensive rant." She explained, picking up on his silence.

"It sure sounded like it. You insulted me three times." He said in a low mumble.

"They were not insults. I didn't realize that you wanted to be like every other obnoxious, asshole guy that's here. I think you're cute." She explained, making him finally look up from his watch, though not having enough strength to look at the girl.

"That is an insult. Girls don't want to sleep with guys who are cute." He said silently, putting his insecurities out into the air. He sighed in defeat, finally convincing himself that this was the end of his night and he would just have to try again tomorrow.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I want to sleep with you." The girl countered, looking at him in disbelief, until her look finally softened. She should have known that he couldn't pick up on girls sending him signs if he couldn't send out any of his own.

"You what?" The man asked, shocked. He couldn't believe what he heard her say and he felt his pulse rate increase and lightheaded as he heard them.

"Why would I be spending so much time with you if I wasn't planning on sleeping with you?" She asked, prompting him to make the connection himself.

"But then why are you giving me all of the advice—about the expensive drinks and the girls…" He trailed off.

"Because you clearly needed help." She explained simply.

"But, I don't even know your name—"

"If you don't want to sleep with me, you don't have to." Haley interrupted, making a movement to go, but smiling the second she felt him lightly grab her wrist and tell her, 'no'.

"No, no, I do." He said, beginning to stand, before she pushed him back down onto the stool.

"Easy, tiger," She smiled as he looked at her slightly confused, "I'm not done with you here yet, the night is young. No need to hurry."

The man felt his face flush an embarrassing shade of red as he sat back down at the bar and clutched onto his bottle of Budweiser. He had to calm himself down in order to not make an even bigger fool of himself than he already had.

He shook his head in anger as he watched the man from across the bar, the man who made his heart rate increase and his blood boil, began to walk his way. He wasn't in the mood for this confrontation, especially when he had this beautiful girl sitting next to him. He also didn't pick up on his heavy breathing until the girl next to him placed a hand on his back.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He looked at her and he could feel the intense glare on his face soften. He didn't want to concern or upset her, but he just couldn't stand that guy.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm—"

"Well, if it isn't Nathan Scott," The other man began, hitting the blue-eyed boy on the back, "How've you been, man? Haven't seen you in a while."

The newly approached man smiles at Nathan and then, without waiting for a reply, turns towards Haley, blatantly checks her out, extends a hand and smirks, "Hi, I'm Damien West, and you are? And may I add, that you look beautiful tonight."

Nathan could feel his hands clenching and unclenching repetitively at his sides. If this guy took one more thing that belonged to him…

"In the middle of a conversation, if you would excuse me." Nathan heard the blonde girl reply as he watched her push Damien out of the way, where he snuck in between the stools that held Nathan and Haley.

They both watched as Damien's face quickly fell, before he recovered and placed the smirk back on his face. Haley checked him out, not understanding where all his unabashed confidence came from. Sure, he was attractive. He had a nice enough face, slightly above average sized body, he was nothing superb—certainly nothing compared to the other boy in front of her, yet he was the one picking up all of the girls. Haley didn't care for the way that he kept eyeing her and the uneasiness he caused in the boy in front of her. She had enough.

"Are you sure you want me to leave you alone with him?" Damien started, gesturing to the man behind him, talking in a mock whisper, "Let me tell you a little secret before you waste your time: He's not very good in bed."

"Wow, most men are rather concealed about their sexuality, especially if they're in a bar trying to pick up girls, good for you." Haley said in as genuine a voice as she could muster.

She saw his face fall once again and suppressed the smile that was threatening to take over her face. She quickly glanced at the man she just learned was Nathan and allowed the smile to present itself once she saw that he was smiling slightly.

"No, no, that's not—"

"Save it. Take yourself and whatever little pride you have left back to the other side of the bar." Haley said, turning the other way and downing the rest of her beer.

"Okay," Haley rolled her eyes when Damien began to speak, realizing that he was still there, "I'll just go back home and into bed with Sara. I'll give her what she wants."

Haley only held the confused look on her face for a moment before it was replaced by fear as she saw Nathan strike Damien. She was about to intervene but was stopped once Damien came back up, holding a bloody nose with one hand—though failing to hide the smirk on his face—and a fist to hit Nathan back in the other. She knew that Nathan would be able to handle Damien physically and she figured that if he was going to hit back then Nathan would have an excuse to hit him again. She didn't know Damien, or Nathan for that matter, but Nathan was the one she was interested in, the one who had, up until this point, been timid and sweet. Plus, she just felt a bad vibe coming from Damien.

Just as thought, Nathan was easily able to dodge Damien's hit, though, much to Haley and Nathan's dismay, was unable to get another punch aimed back at him because the bartender was pulling him away, restraining his arms and pushing him to the nearest exit while muttering his annoyances under his breath. Haley quickly tossed a few bills on the bar, grabbed her jacket and purse, along with Nathan's jacket that was left on his stool, threw Damien a dirty look and headed toward the exit Nathan just left from.

Once Haley finally made it out of the bar, the cold air hit her and she threw on her jacket, quickly looking around for Nathan, hoping that he hadn't already made his way into a cab and back to his house. She was worried about him. The entire night was filled with his acting nervous and uncertain; being rather timid and she had no idea what could have sent him so on edge, well, she figured it had to go with this girl Sara, but still, she never expected him to blow up like that. She also really wanted to sleep with him.

Haley felt a slight pout form on her lips at the thought of not seeing Nathan again tonight. Throughout the night, she became increasingly interested in the man before her. She'd never seen anyone like him, and she was excited to get to know him, at least for the night. Though, she no longer had to pity herself when she walked a little further down the street and was able to make out a large figure with bad posture, resting their head against their hands that were propped onto the side of the building. Haley was easily able to identify and match this man's body with the man's she had been studying all night, even though the darkness was blocking out his face.

She carefully approached him and hesitated once she got to him, unsure of what to do exactly, since she didn't want to startle him.

"You throw a hell of a punch." She started hesitantly, deciding that the best way to deal with the situation was to make light of it.

She heard him sigh loudly and clear his throat before he replied, "Sorry about in there, I didn't mean to punch him, he just… he really fucking pisses me off."

Even though he had still yet to look up at her, Haley could hear it so evidently in his voice that he had been crying. Her heart broke for him. He was clearly a mess, and even though she barely knew him, she knew that he didn't deserve it. Especially if it were all people like Damien who were messing him up.

"Don't be sorry," Haley starts, reassuringly, "I'm glad you punched him, he was being a dick. Plus, it pushed you even higher up the hotness scale, and I can tell you've wanted to deck him for a while. To me, it's an allover win."

Haley could physically feel his change in demeanor as her words sunk it, and heard it when he let out a light laugh. Nathan was also smiling widely, though Haley was still unable to see it because of the lack of street lights in this particular span of the block.

"Well then I'm sorry that I got us kicked out of the bar." Nathan offered, finally peeling himself away from the brick wall and turning to face the girl in front of him.

Haley smiled when she saw his body turn in the shadows. She liked that she was able to effortlessly change his mood.

"Don't be sorry for that either, now we can get back to my apartment faster." Haley explained, while reaching out for his hand and pulling him with her to a better lit corner of the street so that they would be able to hail a cab.

Nathan was happy for the lack of light in the area of the street they were on, and that she was in front of him while dragging him away, because he felt his face flush an abashed shade of red as she spoke to him and he felt a jolt of electricity when she clasped his hand with hers.

When they reached the corner of the street they paused as Haley stepped out into the street to get the attention of a cab, while Nathan remained on the sidewalk, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. He could feel his hands growing clammy and his heart beat increasing.

Sure, he had been coming to bars practically nightly for the past few weeks and times before that with every intention of finally finding a girl to sleep with. Though, after the first couple unsuccessful nights, he gave up, believing he would never find a willing partner, and just used the finding a girl to sleep with as an excuse for him to go out and drink. Conclusively, he never thought this night would come. He lost hope a while ago and now that it was actually happening, he wasn't sure he could do it.

He panicked as he thought about the last time he slept with a girl—it hadn't gone well. He didn't even have a condom. It'd been a while since he's slept with someone, what if he forgot what to do, what if—

"Are you coming?" He finally snapped out of the panicked daze to see the girl in front of him with an eyebrow raised, and one hand on her hip and the other being waved in front of his face.

Nathan looked passed her and saw that a cab had pulled up and the woman had already opened the door to go in, though soon realized that he wasn't following. He saw the impatient cab driver with a scowl on his face and he couldn't do it, "It, it's okay. We, uh, we don't have to do this, I mean, you go ahead in this cab, and I'll just, I'll find another cab and…"

Haley could only smile at the man in front of her when he started nervously ranting. She quickly took his words as a kind gesture, reassuring her that they didn't have to do anything, or just a last minute plea because he was nervous, but nothing too serious. She wasn't about to let him get away tonight, especially with all the time she had already invested in him. Haley quickly latched onto his wrist and dragged him into the taxi with her.

There were a few muffled protests coming from Nathan as he sat, fidgeting and uncomfortable in the back of the small taxi next to the girl he'd been talking to all night, while she told the cab driver directions to her apartment which he was unable to pick up on, the only sound ringing in his ears is the sound of his loud, rapid heartbeat.

Nathan willed himself to look at the girl next to him once he felt her sit back and the cab begin to move. When he turned he was slightly taken aback, seeing the girl looking at him with a big, genuine smile on her face, which, only very slightly, helped to ease his nerves.

The key word for him was genuine. Not one thing that she said to him or way that she acted toward him screamed judgment. Nathan truly believed that she was doing this because she wanted to and found him attractive—not because she pitied him.

Although, in the end, it didn't make him any less nervous. It didn't lessen the urge he had to open the door of the taxi and roll out onto the busy city street. He was still extremely hesitant to be doing this and he decided to make his feelings clear, "Uh, you know, we really don't have to do anything, I mean, it's okay."

"No, I want to." Haley reassured with a smile, refusing to give into the man before her. She knew that he was nervous and that he was projecting his feelings onto her, but she wasn't going to let him out of this easily—if at all.

"No, you can't." He denied, "There's nothing I've done so far tonight that would make you want me. I'm clearly a mess, I punched a guy in front of you, I… I don't even know your name…"

Haley rolled her eyes as the man spit out excuses. Though, nonetheless, she still tried to reassure him by leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips before she pulled away and told him her name, "Haley. Are we good, now?"

Nathan sat stunned as the girl next to him sat back down fully into her seat and waited for his response. He literally appeared to be frozen; he could feel that his mouth was still slightly agape, he figured so because he refused to close it, to move his lips at all, fearing that the tingling feeling would disappear. He's convinced his eyes haven't blinked shut since he opened them once she pulled away.

Nathan could feel Haley staring at him and realized that he had to do something; change his stance, reply to her question. Dammit, what was her question?

He was highly aware of how ridiculous he probably looked to her. She barely kissed him, he didn't even get a chance to respond before she pulled away, but with the feelings it sent sparking through him, he couldn't help it. It had been a while since he's been kissed and it shocked him to say the least.

He was about to respond once he pulled himself out of his daze, but was interrupted by Haley's voice first, "Are you gay?"

Nathan's face went right back into place as he heard her question. His jaw dropped slightly and his face turned a hot shade of red. He closed and opened his mouth, trying to decide how he should answer her question.

He wasn't gay and her comment offended him. Not that he had anything wrong with people who were gay, but he had been working so hard tonight to try and get her to like him, which he figured he had succeeded at once she said she wanted to sleep with him, and especially once she kissed him. But his hope shattered once he heard her words. If she thought he was gay, than he had obviously been doing something wrong. Did this mean that she didn't want to sleep with him now, if she thinks he's gay?

"Excuse me?" He settles on, his voice sounding weak, even to him.

"Are you gay? It's a rather simple question." She repeated.

Nathan faltered slightly when he heard the tone of her voice. It, once again, wasn't judgmental or accusing, just genuine and curious. She wasn't trying to be a bitch, she just truly wanted to know whether or not he was gay, which clearly hurt him, even made him angry. For weeks he's been pathetically hitting on girls, needing physical contact with one, and now she thinks he's gay? It's as though all his efforts have been for nothing.

"No, I'm not fucking gay." He spat out, jaw clenching. He didn't necessarily want to be angry, but the only other emotion he could muster up would be sadness and there was no fucking way he was going to cry in front of her… again.

"Wow," Haley started defensively, holding up her hands, "I'm sorry, calm down, there's nothing wrong with it if you are. It would explain a lot…"

"I'm not gay." Nathan repeated firmly, staring out his window as he clenched his hands at his side. What the hell was he doing here?

"Okay." Haley said softly. She felt bad, she still didn't have any intention of offending him, she was just truly curious. He was so weak and sensitive, going through a lot, and why the hell couldn't struggling with his sexuality be what he was going through?

Haley couldn't take the sudden sense of hostility in the car and placed a hand on his knee and repeated her earlier words, "I'm sorry."

Nathan exhaled loudly and shook his head. He believed her and forgave her, but that didn't stop his ego from bruising.

He's been through a lot lately, more than he could have ever imagined he'd go through. Years ago, hell months ago, his life was perfect; everything was looking up for him. Just six months ago, he was a twenty-two year old, healthy man, who graduated from Duke University with an above average GPA and a guaranteed place in the NBA, along with his best friend. All of this was all that Nathan had ever wanted and more. His dreams had come true, though he would have given it all up in a heartbeat if it meant he would have to give away the other part of his happy life, his beautiful girlfriend Sara.

_Sara._ As Nathan thought about the name and caught a glimpse of the mental image stored in his brain of the girl that it belonged to, he could feel his throat begin to close up and he could no longer see out of his eyes as they were glazed over by a thick layer of tears. The only thing that stopped them from pouring in that moment was Haley's hand that was still placed on his knee, shaking him lightly. He made out her saying something about them being at her apartment complex, though he couldn't get himself to move.

"Nathan, please, come-on." Haley pleaded as she continued to touch his leg.

She let out an exasperated sigh as the cab driver looked angry and Nathan was still not responding to her. She left from her side of the cab, paid the tab to the driver and went over to open the door on the side of the cab that Nathan was sitting on. He didn't flinch once the door next to him flung open. Haley cupped his face in her hands and forcefully brought his lips to hers, kissing him hard on the lips and slipping her tongue into his mouth without permission. She continued to kiss him until he responded, then retreated the second she felt his tongue move against hers. She quickly pulled on his hand and dragged him out of the cab before he could fall back into oblivion.

Haley watched Nathan walk onto the sidewalk with his head bowed down. She rolled her eyes and began to regret bringing him back with her for a second, before she shook her head. She knew he was like this and was intent on bringing him back into reality.

His issues were clearly about a girl. Sara. Haley could already hear the story in her head: "_boo-hoo, Sara, I love her, she slept with Damien, she's my life, how am I supposed to move on, boo-hoo."_

It wasn't that hard to put the story together, a story that Haley was going to make sure she heard in full from him in a matter of minutes and a story that Nathan wasn't going to remember by tomorrow morning, if Haley had anything to do with it.

She tugged on his hand and pulled a reluctant Nathan along with her into her apartment building, into her elevator, up to her floor and finally into her apartment.

It was clear that she wasn't expecting company tonight; she had a sink full of dishes, a pile of folded laundry at the foot of her couch, an empty carton of Ben & Jerry's on her coffee table which was flooded with magazines and student's essays that she had to grade, but she smiled, knowing that Nathan wouldn't mind, that is, if he would even notice.

It wasn't until he was sitting on an old, though still rather comfortable couch, that Nathan finally fully realized that he was no longer in the taxi with Haley. He was still on the brink of crying, though once he rubbed his eyes, he was able to gain some sense back. He looked up, growing tired of the sight of his hands and his lap. He smiled as he looked around the room; he didn't see Haley, but studied her apartment instead.

The slightly scary painting of an elephant on the wall across from him made him laugh. Nathan would never consider himself a man of the arts, but he couldn't imagine staring at a large-ass picture of an angry African elephant every day. It was right there, plastered against the wall, larger than the 36" flat screen TV that it was hovering.

Though, that smile turned down once he saw the contents of her life that were scattered on her coffee table. Among the papers were beauty magazines, bills, what looked like student's papers, and a Shakespeare book that Nathan was once supposed to read, but referred to cheat sheets instead. He didn't know this girl, didn't know how she afforded this apartment, what career she was pursuing, her favorite book, why she enjoyed African elephants, and here he was, being pathetic and relying on her to help him.

He had clearly come across as an asshole in the last few minutes, ignoring her. Nathan began to feel bad for his behavior all night. He'd been a mess, certainly, wallowing over his own sorrows, and seemingly not giving a damn about hers.

"He lives!" He heard Haley say with a mock gasp as she made her way back into the tiny living room. She set a tray of cookies and milk on a clean area of the coffee table before she took a seat next to him on the couch.

"I'm sorry," Nathan started, remorsefully, "I've been an asshole tonight."

It was now Haley's turn to be slightly taken aback and rendered to silence. She hadn't expected an apology from him; she didn't believe he had any reason to be sorry for anything.

"What? No you have—"

"Yeah, I have. I mean, you've been nothing but nice to me and then I just begin throwing punches, and ignoring you and…" Nathan interrupted Haley, though trailed off at the end. At the beginning of this sentence, it seemed like a good idea to talk, though, as he neared the end, he was uncertain. He was beginning to lose the little confidence that he was somehow able to obtain.

"That didn't bother me," Haley reassured, "I already told you, the punching was hot."

Haley paused long enough to get him to smile, which he did. Though, she didn't want to continue this playful banter. What she really wanted to do was get him over this girl that caused him such trouble. Haley made it clear that he had no reason to be so nervous and self-conscience and she decided that she had to get him out of the mode he was in—she had to reverse the damage that this Sara had done. Although, regretfully, the only way Haley could think to do this would be to first figure out what the hell happened, the part she was most concerned about. She had no doubts about the making him forget part.

Cautiously, she took his face in hers for the third time that night and kissed him, catching him off guard. She had previously been a good half a cushion next to him and in the next moment she was on top of him, kissing him, though he didn't complain yet. He was sure, once she started moving further than this he would once again begin to panic. But, for now, he felt no reason to. It was, in fact, the third kiss they shared tonight and he was growing used to, and needless to say, enjoying kissing another girl than Sara for the first time in… ever.

Although, this time it was better; it was real. He was able to kiss her back without her pulling away. He was rejoicing in the feel of her tongue on his and her hands combing through her hair, causing him to almost moan aloud at the loss of contact once she pulled away, kissing him lightly once again before completely retreating and sitting back down onto her respective part of the couch.

"What was that for?" He asked huskily, with a smirk on his face, still trying to regain his composure after the kiss they shared.

Haley smiled nervously in response before grabbing his hand and demanding, "Tell me about Sara."

Haley hated how quickly his demeanor changed once she brought up Sara. He pulled back, creating distance between himself and Haley and focused on the painting of the elephant across the room, refusing to look at Haley.

"That's hideous, isn't it?" Haley asked once she followed his gaze. Yes, she wanted to find out how deeply wounded this girl caused Nathan to be, but if he needed more easing in to that conversation then so be it.

Nathan couldn't help but let the chuckle fall from his lips as he heard her words and nodded. His response caused Haley to smile and laugh as well.

"It was here when I came to look at the apartment. The people who lived here before me still had some of their things in here and I figured that that was just some ugly painting that suited them; I cringed when I saw it, but you know, it didn't really make a difference. Little did I know, it wasn't theirs, it was put up by some sadistic man who decorated the room and like put some weird ass cryptic spell on it and it can't come down, not unless you want to bust up the wall it's on. Unbeknownst to me, at first, the family who lived here before me had to leave because of it, their kid was having nightmares because of it, or some shit like that."

Haley hit Nathan on the arm lightly, mocking anger at him for the laughter that was pouring from his mouth, though she only joined in on it instead. Haley laughed even harder as she watched Nathan open and close his mouth several times, attempting to say something to her but being unable to because of his own incessant laughter.

Finally, Nathan was able to choke out his opinion, "Have you ever thought of covering it up? You know, getting a new painting? Like of Satan, or something else less frightening?"

It was now Haley's turn to drown in hysterics. The idea that neither her, nor the tenant before her, nor any of her friends who have suffered through the painting with her thought to cover it, but the man that she's known for about two hours and had been in her apartment for a matter of fifteen minutes just so easily resolved one her biggest annoyances was extremely amusing. Haley could only shake her head in response because of all the laughter that had taken over her body.

With newfound confidence and pride that he obtained most likely because of this response from Haley, Nathan stood up and removed his tie, along with his dress shirt and walked over to the painting and perched his shirt and tie up on top of it, tying the sleeves of his shirt to some nails that were sticking out of the wall.

"That's better, right? I mean, you didn't like it on me, but anything has to be better than that elephant."

Haley could only nod in response, being rendered speechless again, but this time for a completely different reason. Yeah, she knew he was fit, but she wasn't expecting this. He was huge. He was fucking huge. His arms, his six pack, his… oh God, his back. Haley's always had a thing for backs, appreciating it when you could see the muscles bulging out whenever their arms were moving, and all the contours. It was so simple, yet complex when it was swollen with muscle and all Haley could think about was how damn badly she wanted to get acquainted with all those contours.

She forced herself back into reality when she felt the couch shift once all that muscular weight once again took a seat on the couch next to her. Haley watched in admiration as Nathan reached forward and grabbed a cookie off of the tray that she had brought into the room moments before.

Nathan had to quickly eat the cookie in order to stifle the smirk that was threatening to take over his lips. He grew over being desperate with Haley and wouldn't allow his heart rate to increase just because she was admiring his body… if only he had any real control over that.

"We started dating when we were thirteen." Nathan began, completely gaining the interest and all of the focus from Haley. He had every intention of putting his confidence and comfort with the girl before him to use. When Nathan met her eyes full of anticipation and concern, he was motivated even further.

"We met when she moved to my school in sixth grade and then we became good friends, but I had a huge crush on her the entire time. Then, in eighth grade, there was like this big dance at the beginning of the year, and I, of course, asked her to go with me, and everyone knew I liked her already and the rest of our friends were just making it a way bigger deal than it was, and I think she was kind of peer pressured into our relationship then." Nathan began, and then paused once he heard his voice begin to crack. He took a big sip of the milk, hoping to gain it back, which seemed to calm him down somewhat.

Nathan was able to continue shortly after that, meeting Haley's questioning and encouraging eyes, "Yeah, I know, it's not the best way to start a relationship, but it got better. Then, we entered high school the next year and I was starting on the varsity basketball team as a freshman, and she was a cheerleader. We seemed like a perfect couple. You know, I think that might have been a lot of the problem, a big part of our relationship relied on outside influence."

He paused momentarily, chocking up again, before clearing his throat, shaking his head and continuing, "But, I mean everything was going fine. We saw each other every day at school, we hung out all the time on weekends. I became completely, one hundred percent dependent on her and our relationship by the time we were sophomores in high school. And I mean completely dependent. When I was sixteen, I was emancipated from my parents, she was all that I had.

"Then, junior year, I finally told her I loved her. I proposed to her, and she turned me down. Mind, that at this point she had never told me that she even loved me back. But I still thought everything was fucking perfect between us. Now, I'm a pretty smart guy, but even if I wasn't I am a hell of a basketball player, and ever since I was younger, I don't know what happened, but I always wanted to go to Stanford University and play basketball there. And, like I was saying I would have easily been able to go there, but Sara's dream was Duke, so I, in a heartbeat, dropped Stanford and followed her to Duke. And then, she started fucking Damien West and I found out six months ago and it was over." Nathan finished harshly, chugging the rest of his milk while a few tears feel down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry to tell you that I didn't spike the milk." Haley told him jokingly, moving closer to him and closing the distance.

She now sat sideways on the couch, on her legs, knees on top of a shirtless and distraught Nathan's lap, while he was facing forward. He laughed politely, though was still clearly upset.

"So have you, like, never had sex?" Haley asked bluntly.

"You really suck at this, you know?" Nathan told her, laughing a little more sincerely than the last time.

"What?" Haley asked, feigning innocence. She wished she could help him, but she didn't know him and she had no idea in hell how she could go about helping him. She understood that his relationship with the infamous Sara was nine years long, but she didn't get the sense that it was that serious, at least not from Sara's end. If he couldn't get over a false relationship in six months, then a stranger wasn't going to be able to get him over it in hours.

"At comforting me. It's not working." He smiled, accusingly.

"It sure seems like it's working, you're smiling." She countered, proving out a valid point that Nathan acknowledged with a nod of his head. "But, you still haven't answered my question. Are you a virgin?" Haley repeated.

Nathan's cheeks flushed red for the umpteenth time this night before responding, "No. We slept together. A few times…" He trailed off, averting eye contact.

"How many?" Haley prompted.

"Three." Nathan mumbled, though Haley heard him just fine.

"So, did you like just start sleeping with each other right before you broke up?"

"No. The first time we were sixteen." Nathan said, bowing his head down in shame. Though, he picked it right up to send a mock glare in Haley's direction when he heard her begin to laugh.

"And you couldn't pick up on an issue in that relationship? Jesus, what was her excuse? How, how could that have happened?"

"I don't know," Nathan started, squirming around uncomfortably in his seat. He had never spoken about his sex life to anyone before. "She just didn't like it."

Haley had to physically cover her mouth with her hands to stop herself from laughing too loud, though it was still clearly obvious that she was laughing at him.

Nathan thought to be hurt and offended at Haley laughing at him, but he didn't want to be. It did seem rather ridiculous, now that he was talking about it aloud for the first time. What the hell went on in his mind these last few years? Did he really just place Sara on too high a pedestal to even see what was going on at the top of it?

Nathan couldn't help but smile now. Something about this situation just completely changed his mind set. He doesn't know if it was the incredibly sexy and enticing young lady who was laughing next to him, or his dress shirt pinned up on the wall across for him, or just that he was becoming incredibly senile because of all of his nerves, anxiety and roller coaster of emotions from the night, but he's beginning to see in a whole new light.

Suddenly, the thought of his 'relationship' seemed ridiculous and, much like Haley's feelings, amusing. The thoughts that have haunted him every night for the past six months were beginning to be suppressed by the sound and touch of the girl sitting next to him. The antagonizing thoughts of Sara's kisses and Sara's words being erased by the visions of Haley and the time he's spent with her and the future times that he will hopefully spend with her. Now, he couldn't think about frowning or crying at his relationship, only about adding more ridiculous and funny details that would contribute to Haley's laughter. Anything that would get her to continue how she's acting right now because Nathan can't seem to get enough of it.

"And I was never allowed on top." Nathan admitted with a smile which only increased in size when Haley responded accordingly, widening her eyes and letting out a stronger laugh, supporting herself from completely doubling over in laughter by squeezing onto his bicep, something neither of them minded.

Haley reacted intensely to his comment because, well, it was funny, and because it noted a change in their night. She no longer had to stifle laughter or tiptoe around his feelings, not having to hope that this time she laughed at him would be the last time that he would be able to take it. She laughed in approval and motivation for him to continue. She liked this side of Nathan better.

"What?" Haley asked in disbelief, finally responding to his comment.

"Nope," Nathan started, shaking his head in amusement, "In all those three times we had sex I was never allowed on top."

"Why?" Haley asked, completely interested in his response.

"I don't know, and she never really let me finish, and I'm convinced that she faked it every time too. She always just wanted to get it over with."

Haley laughed, throwing her head back and making a mental note to let Nathan on top and to take her time with him.

"And it was just her riding me every time. We never did anything else. No blow jobs, hand jobs, I wasn't allowed to ever put anything besides my dick into her. She barely even let me look at her."

"Oh my God." Haley stated, her eyes widening even more in doubt. How a girl could not want Nathan to fuck her was beyond Haley's mind's ability of understanding.

"I've never kissed any other girl before, either. I've kissed her, believe it or not, but that's it. Well, I mean, and you…" Nathan trailed off, growing nervous once again when he brought up their kiss.

Haley shook her head, willing his uneasiness to go away. He had been making such progress; she didn't want him to take a step backward. Although, this setback seemed like the type that she may be able to fix.

Haley quickly made her way on top of Nathan's lap, straddling him. He looked up at her uncertainly, though moving his hands to rest on her waist. She raised an eyebrow at him, bringing his face in between her hands and lowering her face to his.

"Any other fun facts on Nathan Scott?" Haley asked teasingly, quickly kissing him before pulling back, informing him in on what would come if he in fact didn't have any more facts to share with her.

Nathan could only shake his head 'no', not being able to find his voice. He watched as Haley grinned in response and leaned down, closing the gap between their lips. He groaned as she expertly slipped her tongue into his mouth and fought his for dominance. Nathan's breathing stopped completely once Haley removed her mouth from his, and instead moving onto his neck, while moving her hands all over his arms and torso. Once Haley was content with the response she was getting from Nathan, she began to move her hand downward and unbuckled his belt.

Haley then stood up, pulling on Nathan's hands to get him to stand as well, all the while swiftly lowering his pants with her other hand. She kissed him one last time before pulling him behind her into her bedroom, where she sat herself down comfortably onto her bed while looking up at a smiling Nathan.

Nathan placed a big smile on his face, hoping to hide the uncertainty that he was sure would be pooling through otherwise. Although, it wasn't that hard to keep the smile there. He was genuinely excited and ready to do whatever the hell he wanted to with Haley and forget the rest of his problems, even if only for a few hours, but that didn't mean he still didn't know what the hell he was doing. It was obvious that Haley wanted him to take the lead, but he had no idea what the fuck to do or where to start.

He and Sara had lost their virginity together, sure he was nervous then, but he knew Sara and loved Sara and, at that time, he thought that it would just be another thing for them to do and figure out together and that they would be loving and supporting of each other, just like they always did. But now, it was completely different. He was older, something he felt should give him more leverage—he should have more experience by now. And it wasn't only his lack of experience that was getting to him, but Haley's surplus of experience. Nathan was certain that this would be the worst sexual experience Haley would ever have, and that was suddenly something that he didn't want embedded in her mind. He wanted to be that alpha male, he wanted her to think more highly of him than she would after their rendez-vous.

The smile apparently faltered, because the next thing Nathan knew, Haley was on her knees on the bed in front of him with her hands on his chest, giving him a reassuring smile.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want." Haley said quietly and almost sadly, misreading his hesitance and thinking that he wasn't ready to move on.

Nathan could tell this and was given a new handful of confidence. The sense of pride that swept through him when Haley was clearly upset that she believed she had failed and he wouldn't sleep with her enabled him enough courage to lean down and kiss her, while roaming his hand over her sides and her back, trying to find the zipper of her dress.

Haley smiled into the kiss, leading his hand to find her zipper. Nathan smiled as well, quickly pulling the zipper down and slipping Haley out of the dress, before lifting her up and laying her down on the bed while climbing on top of her, never breaking the contact between their lips, continuing this for several minutes.

"Wow." Haley muttered, laughing and finally pulling away from him.

"What?" Nathan asked with a smile, despite himself. He didn't think she would already be laughing at him and he honestly didn't think that he had done anything wrong yet.

"Well, you started off great, all macho and shit, lifting me onto the bed, but you've just been kissing me, dude, you can touch me." Haley paused to fake a gasp, "I know, I know, it's an absurd thought, but just think about it, okay?"

Nathan's hands began to tickle Haley's bare sides as a response to her comment. "Like this?" Nathan asked, "You want me to touch you like this?"

Haley could only respond by violently shaking her head, being unable to find her voice because of the laughter that was coming out of her mouth. After a few moments, Nathan stopped his movements and began to lower his hands, slipping them under her panties, watching as Haley closed her eyes in anticipation and pleasure.

"What about like this?" Nathan asked a lot more huskily than planned, but he shook it off when he watched Haley nod, her eyes still glued shut, his change in voice going unnoticed by her.

Neither was exactly sure where Nathan's confidence or teasing was coming from. Haley didn't think that this was going to be a miserable experience, but she thought she was going to have to help him through it, but if he continued like this, then damn was she wrong.

As Nathan began to move his fingers, he feasted in the looks of pleasure coming on Haley's face and wanted to do whatever he could to increase her pleasure, instinctually reaching his other hand to Haley's back and unclasping her bra.

He smirked when he felt Haley's body responding to every one of his ministrations and her tongue flicked out of her mouth, wetting her lips. He leaned back down to her lips, being unable to resist his urge to kiss her.

Haley finally opened her eyes once they pulled away from the kiss, Nathan resting his forehead against hers. Everything about this seemed perfect to the both of them. Neither could imagine being anywhere else right now.

Nathan lifted his head slightly, gesturing downwards with his head, referring to their bodies that were currently tangled up in each other, "You know, uh, I compliment you really well."

**A/N: Okay, I'm going to be completely honest and say that I am extremely uncertain about this story. When I first began composing it in my mind it was a lot more funny and flirty and Crazy, Stupid Love like (for anyone who has seen that movie, I'm specifically talking about the Ryan Gosling/ Emma Stone parts), but then, when writing I just, sort of, lost some of the things that I wanted to say and how I wanted to say them and, as most of you know, you can't just have witty dialogue back and forth, you need to include what is happening, and I felt that that was kind of a setback for me. I feel that this oneshot lacks an overall point, it's not really a story and probably should have just remained in my head, but I spent days on this and took away a lot of time from working on my other story, so there was no way I was going to let it go unposted. I'm hoping there's something of valued substance in it somewhere. Oh well.**

**Thanks for reading and please review.**

**-Megan AKA ToBecomeAClown**


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